Katari couple murder: Five get death sentence

In a sensational judgment, the IX Additional District and Sessions Court in Chittoor on Friday (October 31, 2025) awarded death penalty to five accused in the brutal murder case of former Chittoor Mayor Katari Anuradha and her husband Katari Mohan.

The court found all five accused — Chandrasekhar alias Chintu (A1), Venkata Chalapathi alias Mulabagilu Venkatesh (A2), Jayaprakash Reddy (A3), Manjunath (A4), and Venkatesh alias Gangannapalli Venkatesh (A5) — guilty of murder and criminal conspiracy, and sentenced them to death.

The double murder, which occurred inside the Chittoor Municipal Corporation office in November 2015, had sent shockwaves across the State. Anuradha and Mohan were attacked in broad daylight by a gang reportedly hired over political- and personal feuds.

The Chittoor urban police had recorded statements of 57 witnesses and filed charge sheet against 27 accused. The court had earlier this month acquitted 22 others. The verdict, which came a decade later, ends stalemate over the most high-profile murder cases in the district.